Seeking to complete Kamen Rider Chronicle, Kuroto Dan wreaks havoc once again as the Dangerous Zombie. But a parting gift from the deceased Kiriya Kujo, could be the key to stopping him. A new Gashat with the ability to reprogram the Bugster Virus can only be used by one person, the very source of the virus itself, Emu Hojo! Entrusted with the fate of humanity by Lazer, Ex-Aid must reach the maximum level with the strongest body to take on the immortal GenM. The Maximum Mighty Gamer arrives at last as Ex-Aid reaches Level 99!

Packaging
Shocking all of us, Ex-Aid Level 99 has finally been released! In an appropriately hefty and powerfully colorful box, Level 99 is a welcome sight after being superseded by the the release of GenM Level Billion.

Main Figure
Last time around with this mold, we got the odd release of GenM Level Billion. A "pre-paint" as I like to call him, Level Billion was revealed after Level 99, but released well before it. Because of the monumental difference in popularity for the character of Kuroto Dan vs Emu Hojo and the then recent Ex-Aid film trilogy. It was still really weird to see what should ostensibly be a repaint, released prior to what should be the original figure. But hey, things are weird with Kamen Rider sometimes right? Now that we've finally gotten to the point where you can actually own both of these guys it's time to show them off together! If you want to skip the review portion, feel free. This review will be largely identical to Level Billion since the mold is unchanged.

Way back in May 2017, Ex-Aid Level 99 was first revealed to the public at the Akiba Showroom. Typically, items displayed here are soon to be announced for release, or are at least far more likely to be than those seen at Tamashii events. It was seen again in June of that year, though it still would not see release until May of 2019. In March 2018, Ex-Aid's final form Muteki was also revealed via Build Sparkling official images though it has not been seen since. Finally, it was April 2018 when we saw confirmation that yes, Level Billion would somehow see release first.

Level 99 at first glance would seem to be a pretty difficult to pose figure. I'm happy to say I'm impressed by what Bandai was able to fit into this big beefy boy. The Ex-Aid line has relied pretty heavily on the original Ex-Aid Level 2 mold, with new parts and paint apps where needed to create most of the characters and forms in the series. The Level 99/Billion mold is the first truly new mold we've really had, though it does share 3 components with previous releases. Before we jump into all that, I want to talk about the paint apps.

Overall, Level 99 is a gorgeous form. While on the whole, I prefer the rich purples of the Level Billion version of the mold, it's undeniable how gorgeous Level 99 is. The paint apps are crisply applied everywhere, and the color selection and placement results in all the sharply sculpted details being fully brought out. In particular I really appreciate the sort of brushed gold used for the "tubing" that makes up the limbs. This contrasts really nicely with the white of the main body as well as the neon green & pink accents. The additional silver & gunmetal grey along with those gorgeous eyes on the chest make this such a unique looking form. Honestly it looks even better here than it did in show.

As I mentioned above, this figure packs quite an impressive punch for articulation given it's design. It's surprising given the chunky design that it can pull off what it does. Beginning with the legs, Ex-Aid is able to hit a fairly wide stance, while keeping his feet flat. The large flat bases of the feet give him marvelous stability, but it's really the sort of hollow ankles that allow for it. Most of the ankles themselves are a free joint underneath a cuff. This floating ankle cuff can spin and move as needed to accommodate the foot itself. Also surprising for a figure of this beefy-ness, the knees get a full bend. The tubing design of the legs extends into the knee joint and works in a way reminiscent of a Seihou Kamen Rider. As you bend it, the knee extends to fill the gap in a natural way that doesn't break up the design.

I will admit that the hips look a bit unnatural in the way they pull down from the waist, but it's really beneficial. While they do still inevitably hit the waist no matter what, it isn't nearly as severe or as pronounced as one might imagine. The pull down joints do all the work in opening this area of the figure up. While imperfect, the legs really work fantastically. Above the waist we have the first reused part from another figure, the Gamer Driver. The basic driver itself is the one we've seen over and over again in this line, it's just attached to a much larger belt around the waist. The apps remain unchanged on the belt, aside from the Rider Readout. This features an image of the God Maximum Gamer. The Driver also features a new dummy Gashat in the form of God Maximum Mighty X. As with most Gashats in the line, it's a dummy so it just plugs into the top slots of the driver, or into compatible Gashacon weapons.

The upper body from here, is actually far more robustly articulated than it looks. The "face" portion of the torso actually floats on an ab section that spins pretty freely. It can be hard to line everything back up in a static pose sometimes, but I'm frankly shocked by how well it works. You can rotate the waist and upper body enough to really get this guy in more dynamic poses than you'd assume. The real secret of the upper body, lies in the arms. The wrists swivel partially, but are limited because of the large gauntlets. However, despite the forearm size, the elbows bend up at really nice right angles. AND the elbow joint pulls out just a little, and rotates on a sort of swivel. the upper arm attaches to the interior shoulder joint in a way that at first seems a little too close to the body. That is until you look at the instructions and realize that the shoulder can literally pull out and extend from the body. Simulating in a really great way, how the extending arms of this form work. It's just an extremely nice inclusion that gives the arms enough wiggle room to even come across the chest. These joints give so much range to Ex-Aid that he can easily pose with the best of 'em.

Finally we come to the head, which is a straight reuse of the same Ex-Aid Level 2 head we've seen before. It's set deep between the shoulders and can sometimes be hidden from view by them. But honestly the neck joint is pretty free and you can get a lot out of it. It's really not bad at all. You can easily remove it to simulate Ex-Aid jumping out of the armor to fight on foot as he's done numerous times.

1 - Gashacon Key Slasher. This is a straight repack of what came with the Mighty Bros, though you only get one in this case. Ex-Aid uses this weapon really often with this form to "reprogram" enemies, though in show or as a toy it looks a bit silly in his hands. More like a toy than a weapon. There are two Gashat slits on the handle that can accommodate a double size Gasht like Mighty Bros, Maximum Mighty, God Maximum, or the Gear Gashat Dual Another.

2 - sets of hands. 1 set of opens hands for dramatic poses, another set of open fists to hold the included Slasher. It's a really tight fit, and the handle won't go all the way there, so just be careful with it.

The one thing I really wish was included here is a full Maximum Mighty X Gashat. I'm really surprised there haven't been more full fledged Gashats released with figuarts of the Ex-Aid riders. It would have been very easy and gone a little bit of the distance to making this feel like a more complete release.

Final Thoughts
Level Billion was quite the surprise when it was released last year. Now that the Level 99 version of the mold has finally come out, what can we expect? Now that the circle is finally complete, how long will we have to wait for Ex-Aid's final form Muteki, to be released? With distance from the series, Ex-Aid's popularity has waned while GenM's is still substantial. I'd like to think Muteki Form is just around the corner, but who knows? As is, Ex-Aid Level 99 is a solid repaint of an extremely solid toy. It's amazing that a figure this big is as deceptively nice as it is. I look forward to seeing more from the series in the near future at least. And with the release of Gemdeus Cronus on the horizon, the Ex-Aid line of Figuarts is still kicking at the very least.

I understand that Bandai's business model more or less dictates that it'll re-use molds as often as possible, but I'm taken aback by the lack of value-adds on these releases. A full-on Maximum Mighty X gashat and a hand for Ex-Aid to hold it would've made this release way, way more attractive.

Maybe I'm getting pickier because when I started buying Figuarts Kamen Rider stuff, there were six fewer Riders, and Hibiki and Kiva hadn't been released at all. In addition to the cost, shelf space is at a serious premium.

Heck yeah. Love this one, and I never realised how this and Level Billion next to each other and punching each other is an amazing image. I don't care if one is canonically much more powerful than the other, I wanna imagine them rocking and socking all day.

So I guess we're in for some catch-up for a little bit? Not that I mind -- what I said about Poppy yesterday applies globally. You can never have enough Ex-Aid

Not so many, definitely nothing as far back as Poppy again. My middleman got the May & June release items in at the same time, so Level 99 came in relatively recently for me. From here on it's some more Lightning Collection, Ridestriker, Seihou Zanki, Woz, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokumonkey

I understand that Bandai's business model more or less dictates that it'll re-use molds as often as possible, but I'm taken aback by the lack of value-adds on these releases. A full-on Maximum Mighty X gashat and a hand for Ex-Aid to hold it would've made this release way, way more attractive.

Maybe I'm getting pickier because when I started buying Figuarts Kamen Rider stuff, there were six fewer Riders, and Hibiki and Kiva hadn't been released at all. In addition to the cost, shelf space is at a serious premium.

The lack of full Gashats really bothered me earlier in the line, but the longer it's gone on the less bothered I am. But then I love that the Build stuff has swappable full bottles, but stuff like that can be more trouble than it's worth occasionally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MnemonicSyntax

Great photos as usual, but god, what a terrible aesthetic.

Thanks! The Ex-Aid world of design took a lot of getting used to, even for me. I don't absolutely love everything but I like most of what came out of the show. I like most of anything that Kamen Rider comes up with overall though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreshToku

Heck yeah. Love this one, and I never realised how this and Level Billion next to each other and punching each other is an amazing image. I don't care if one is canonically much more powerful than the other, I wanna imagine them rocking and socking all day.

Yeah the Level difference is monumental. Emu would never had a chance, but aesthetically having the two together really pleases me.

I won't lie, the Ex-Aid aesthetic took some getting used to on my part, but Maximum Mighty is one of the best designs to come out of it. Sure, it might look more cohesive / natural as Genm, but nothing is as "radical" as the armoured robot suit of Ex-Aid's done up in pink and green. The 90's would be proud.